Enhancing health and wellness by, for and with Indigenous youth in Canada: a scoping review (original) (raw)
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American journal of public health, 2015
We addressed the positive and negative factors that influence the health and wellness of urban Aboriginal youths in Canada and ways of restoring, promoting, and maintaining the health and wellness of this population. Fifty-three in-service professionals, care providers, and stakeholders participated in this study in which we employed the Glaserian grounded theory approach. We identified perceived positive and negative factors. Participants suggested 5 approaches-(1) youth based and youth driven, (2) community based and community driven, (3) culturally appropriate, (4) enabling and empowering, and (5) sustainable-as well as some practical strategies for the development and implementation of programs. We have provided empirical knowledge about barriers to and opportunities for improving health and wellness among urban Aboriginal youths in Canada. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print March 19, 2015: e1-e10. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2014.302481).
Health Promotion International
There is increasing recognition that culturally-based diabetes prevention programs can facilitate the adoption and maintenance of healthy behaviours in the communities in which they are implemented. The Kahnawake School Diabetes Prevention Project (KSDPP) is a health promotion, community-based participatory research project aiming to reduce the incidence of Type 2 diabetes in the community of Kahnawake (Mohawk territory, Canada), with a large range of interventions integrating a Haudenosaunee perspective of health. Building on a qualitative, naturalistic and interpretative inquiry, this study aimed to assess the outcomes of a suite of culturally-based interventions on participants' life and experience of health. Data were collected through semi-structured qualitative interviews of 1 key informant and 17 adult, female Kahnawake community members who participated in KSDPP's suite of interventions from 2007 to 2010. Grounded theory was chosen as an analytical strategy. A theoretical framework that covered the experiences of all study participants was developed from the grounded theory analysis. KSDPP's suite of interventions provided opportunities for participants to experience five different change processes: (i) Learning traditional cooking and healthy eating; (ii) Learning physical activity; (iii) Learning mind focusing and breathing techniques; (iv) Learning cultural traditions and spirituality; (v) Socializing and interacting with other participants during activities. These processes improved participants' health in four aspects: mental, physical, spiritual and social. Results of this study show how culturally-based health promotion can bring about healthy changes addressing the mental, physical, spiritual and social dimensions of a holistic concept of health, relevant to the Indigenous perspective of well-being.
First Nation and Métis Youth Perspectives of Health
Qualitative Inquiry, 2016
This article describes an Indigenous and qualitative research project with 13 First Nation (FN) and Métis youth attending an Aboriginal youth health and wellness program located in the Canadian prairies. Our goal was to collaborate with the youth to co-create knowledge concerning their definitions of health using a convergence of Indigenous and qualitative methodologies. Independent but interconnected themes that emerged are discussed as related to neurodecolonization and the recovery of traditional practices and their contribution to youth resilience. The resilience of youth was reflected in these themes as well as their definitions of health. Our findings point to the importance of acknowledging and validating the role that neurodecolonization practices contribute to healing, both at individual and collective levels. Furthermore, we suggest recognizing resilience as well as viewing health holistically to more adequately understand and address the health-related concerns of FNs, Mé...
Feeding the Roots of Cultural Identity: Indigenous Wellness in Canada
Indigenous, Aboriginal, Fugitive and Ethnic Groups Around the Globe, 2019
While responses to native addictions and mental issues are continued priorities, the overarching focus is to recognize the diasporic status of indigenous peoples, to improve native wellness, and to establish cross-cultural identity for all Canadians. Historical culture, ways of knowing and language support strength-based approaches, alongside which relational structures-elders, families, communities, creation-play essential roles in native whole health. A comprehensive Continuum Framework guides federal, provincial, and territorial stakeholder efforts toward native wellness, supported by engaging indigenous communities. Indigenous wellness balances the physical, spiritual, emotional, and mental quadrants of whole health. Balanced well-being is enriched by (i) purpose in individuals' daily lives through education, employment, caregiving, and cultural ways of being and doing; (ii) hope for the future grounded in a sense of core identity, indigenous values, and spirit; (iii) a sense of belonging and connectedness with all relations and culture; and (iv) understanding and deriving meaning from individual, family, and community lives as part of creation and rich history. Indigenous philosophy can be understood and appreciated through the lenses of various Western theoretical approaches that are constructionist by design, whereby Canadians may get one step closer toward achieving a cross-cultural identity. This shared vision requires innovative leadership, sustained commitment, and effective partnerships.
First Nation and Métis Youth Perspectives of Health: An Indigenous Qualitative Inquiry
This article describes an Indigenous and qualitative research project with 13 First Nation (FN) and Métis youth attending an Aboriginal youth health and wellness program located in the Canadian prairies. Our goal was to collaborate with the youth to co-create knowledge concerning their definitions of health using a convergence of Indigenous and qualitative methodologies. Independent but interconnected themes that emerged are discussed as related to neurodecolonization and the recovery of traditional practices and their contribution to youth resilience. The resilience of youth was reflected in these themes as well as their definitions of health. Our findings point to the importance of acknowledging and validating the role that neurodecolonization practices contribute to healing, both at individual and collective levels. Furthermore, we suggest recognizing resilience as well as viewing health holistically to more adequately understand and address the healthrelated concerns of FNs, Métis, and Inuit (FNMI) youth.
Global health action, 2015
Indigenous Canadians have a life expectancy 12 years lower than the national average and experience higher rates of preventable chronic diseases compared with non-Indigenous Canadians. Transgenerational trauma from past assimilation policies have affected the health of Indigenous populations. The purpose of this paper is to comprehensively examine the social determinants of health (SDH), in order to identify priorities for health promotion policies and actions. We undertook a series of systematic reviews focusing on four major SDH (i.e. income, education, employment, and housing) among Indigenous peoples in Alberta, following the protocol Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis-Equity. We found that the four SDH disproportionately affect the health of Indigenous peoples. Our systematic review highlighted 1) limited information regarding relationships and interactions among income, personal and social circumstances, and health outcomes; 2) limited knowledge...
Indigenous Youth Engagement in Canada's Health Care
2011
In this article, we discuss findings from a study on indigenous youth's perspectives on and engagement in health care. We carried out an Internet environmental scan, focus groups, and key informant interviews with urban indigenous youth leaders and front-line indigenous practitioners. We found that youth and practitioners regard the formal health care system as ineffective and disrespectful of youth and culture. Indigenous youth espouse a broader approach to health that considers the linkages between culture, identity, and health. Youth are engaged in a variety of health-related activities , from engagement in design of health services and programs to youth empowerment initiatives. The results highlight the value and implications of affirming indigenous youth's role as determiners of their own health. 1. Acknowledgements: We would like to thank indigenous youth, Elders, and indigenous health professionals for their guidance, contributions, encouragement, and visions of action for future work. We would also like to acknowledge Landon Pearson and Sandra Griffin for their support throughout the study. The authors disclose receipt of financial support for the research and authorship of this article: National Collaborating Centre for Aboriginal Health.
Planting Seeds of Change: Voices of Indigenous Youth on Wholistic Health
The International Indigenous Policy Journal
Indigenous youth are key partners in improving our understanding of holistic health and identifying solutions to address health-related issues. The Urban Gardens Project was a community-based research partnership involving Indigenous youth co-researchers, Brandon University, Indigenous Knowledge Users, Elders, and Indigenous organizations in Winnipeg and Brandon, Manitoba. Using the Medicine Wheel as an analytic framework, the study identified key indicators of spiritual, mental, physical, and emotional wellbeing that Indigenous youth attributed to gardening. Findings illuminate the need for policies to foster Indigenous youth engagement, leadership, and urban gardening programs that advance Indigenous cultural practices to contribute to Indigenous health and wellbeing. The research was funded by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR).